NMSU equestrian team lives for now, has a year to prove self-sustainability
The New Mexico State University Equestrian Team will be able to compete this year after NMSU Chancellor Gary Carruthers granted the team a year to show it can be a self-sustaining program.
Wednesday, the university announced its plan to eliminate a $12.1 million budget shortfall for the upcoming 2016-2017 school year. Multiple programs were cut, including the equestrian team.
The quest to be a self-sustaining program is similar to one at the University of Tennessee at Martin. The equestrian team was slated to be cut in October 2014, but the team was allowed to continue as an NCAA-sanctioned team if it became self-sustaining.
When the original decision to cut the program was made Wednesday, members of the team and their parents were upset with the short notice. Sue Padilla, the mother of a member of the equestrian team, said the decision came out of the blue.
“It’s gut wrenching, I am a mom to these girls and on the national advisory board, and we travel with the girls to every meet. And been with them, supporting them the whole way and to hear 30 days before our season starts, it’s horrific,” Padilla explained.
Kaitlin Nelson is starting her sophomore year at NMSU where she came from Chicago to be part of the Equestrians. She says she was on her way back from the airport when she got a phone call with the news. “I found out my entire reason for being here was gone in a 30 second phone call.”
The NMSU Equestrian team already has a go fund me page, aiming to raise $417,000m the amount of the team’s budget.
NMSU is hosting Oklahoma State and the team is traveling to Baylor for competition.
